


Zombies: Tales of Arcadia

by RatthewHolt



Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Magic still exists so there's that, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Zombie Apocalypse, characters will die yes, eventual kreli tbh, what else do i tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:27:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29046876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RatthewHolt/pseuds/RatthewHolt
Summary: They've battled trolls, changelings, goblins, and more. But can anything prepare them for... zombies?
Relationships: Aja Tarron & Krel Tarron, Barbara Lake & Jim Lake Jr., Claire Nuñez & Darci Scott, Claire Nuñez & Enrique Nuñez, Claire Nuñez & Krel Tarron, Claire Nuñez & Mary Wang, Claire Nuñez & NotEnrique, Darci Scott & Mary Wang, Jim Lake Jr./Claire Nuñez, Shannon Longhannon & Mary Wang, Steve Palchuk & Eli Pepperjack, Toby Domzalski & Jim Lake Jr., Toby Domzalski & Jim Lake Jr. & Claire Nuñez, Toby Domzalski/Darci Scott
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16





	Zombies: Tales of Arcadia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The residents of Arcadia Oaks have no idea what they're about to be subjected to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to my TOA zombie AU, aka the au I taint every show I get into with. *jazz hands*

A frying pan sizzles with bacon on a stove. Above it, Jim Lake Jr. keeps a close eye on it, a content smile on his face. He closes his eyes, and takes a deep breath in through his nose. The smell of bacon swirls all around the kitchen, to which Jim prods at it with the spatula he'd used for the finished fried eggs sitting on two different breakfast plates.

With a hum of satisfaction, he turns off the burner and slides the bacon onto a bigger plate with a paper towel underneath to soak up the grease. He lets the hot meat rest for a minute, before he gently plucks three pieces in either hand and lays them perfectly flat beside the eggs. Jim grabs the jug of orange juice and pours some into two identical glasses.

He puts one of the plates onto a wooden tray, followed by the cup as well. He turns his head to the ceiling, as if waiting to hear some sort of noise. When he hears nothing, he shrugs, and takes hold of the tray with food on it. Jim carefully takes the stairs one at a time, and very slowly. The last thing he wants is to spill the food he made. At the top, he turns and looks at one of the closed doors that leads to a bedroom. His mother's. With a soft smile, Jim balances the tray in one hand, while he turns the doorknob in the other.

"Mom..." Jim calls out softly. "I made you breakfast."

Jim's mother, Barbara, rolls over in her bed with a small groggy moan.

"Mmmh... morning, honey." Barbara smiles.

"Hope you're hungry! Made you some food before your big shift at the hospital tonight." Jim presents the tray as Barbara sits up in the bed.

"Oh, Jim, you're so sweet." Barbara picks up a fork and puts a piece of egg in her mouth.

"Only the best for my dear mother." Jim leans in and kisses her on the cheek. When he pulls away, he picks up her glasses from the bedside table and hands them to her.

"I hope you didn't stay out too late with Toby, Claire, and your... troll friends. You're still in high school, you know." Barbara points her fork at him.

"I know, I know." Jim sighs. "I got home by 11. Blinky's a responsible guy, you're not the only one who makes sure I'm focusing on more than being a trollhunter."

"Well, good. Have a great day, okay?" Barbara wishes.

"I will. Love you, mom!" Jim calls over his shoulder while leaving her room.

Jim hops down the stairs, where his bag is draped over the banister. He grabs it and slings it over his shoulder, the strap crossing his chest. He briefly checks the outer pocket for his amulet, and smiles when he spots it still tucked where he left it. He returns to the kitchen, where he grabs his plate of breakfast. Before he can take a bite, his eyes land on the clock on the wall.

"Crap! I can't be late now, or else Señor Uhl's gonna stick me in summer school!" Jim reminds himself.

He shoves half of his plate of eggs into his mouth, and gulps it down with a big swig of orange juice. He grabs his slices of bacon and jogs for the door. Outside, Jim is met with the sight of his best friend, Toby, on his bike.

"Mornin', Tobes!" Jim waves while sprinting to his own bike.

"What's the holdup, Jimbo?! I've been sitting out here for like ten minutes!" Toby exclaims.

"Just got a bit of a late start, nothing to worry about!" Jim replies, hopping on his bike and clicking his helmet on.

"You know if you're late any more or miss any more then Señor Uhl--!" Toby begins.

"Will put me in summer school, I know!" Jim rolls his eyes, before he remembers the bacon. "Here, I saved some for you."

Jim tosses Toby two slices of bacon. Toby grins widely and sighs.

"Ah, Jimbo, you make the BEST bacon." Toby says.

"You can ogle over my cooking later." Jim laughs. "We gotta GO!"

Jim and Toby turn around and start biking out of the cul-de-sac, down the street.

"You think we'll have time to swing by Claire's to meet up with her?" Toby asks.

"Doubt it. We'll just meet her at school!" Jim answers with a huff. "How about we take the canals again today?"

"Ah, trip down memory lane, huh?" Toby remarks with a fond smile.

Jim and Toby ride a bit further up the road, where they then take a sharp left, and begin riding through the trees along their same dirt path.

Claire stuffs her books into her backpack and slings it up onto her shoulder.

"Claire! You're going to be late!" Her mother, Ophelia, calls from downstairs.

"I'm almost ready, Mom!" Claire groans.

Before she can leave her room, NotEnrique hops up onto her bed, the small green changeling eyeing her.

"Not takin' the shortcut today, sis?" NotEnrique asks, "What's the occasion?"

"I haven't ridden to school with Jim and Toby in a while. I just miss them." Claire says, shrugging. "Besides, taking the canals is a lot of fun."

"Heh, just be careful, will ya?" NotEnrique replies.

"Why?" Claire gives him a small skeptical smile.

"I-I dunno, somethin' just feels off. I feel it in my soul, you know?" NotEnrique puts a hand on his chest.

Claire giggles and rolls her eyes.

"You're being dramatic. Look, I know things are... uneasy right now, yeah. Morgana's free, she's planning the eternal night, our parents know everything. But hey, we found Merlin, and he made us suits of armor! How cool is that?" Claire lists off.

"Yes, yes, I know, but still just be on guard, okay?" NotEnrique grumbles.

"Okayyyy, fine." Claire agrees.

"Good, because remember, I'm still technically several centuries older than you." NotEnrique points at her with a smile.

"See you after school." Claire responds with a lighthearted eye roll, walking out of her room.

NotEnrique waits a few seconds after she goes, then he hops up onto her desk where her laptop stands.

"I gotta do somethin..." NotEnrique mutters while he signs in to the computer.

He pulls up a chat room that he created with Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! as a sort of "just in case" procedure should NotEnrique need to reach them from Claire's house. He types out a message and clicks "Send".

Claire hops down the front stairs of her house, her parents following behind her. Ophelia holds her baby brother, Enrique, in her arms.

"Have a great day, sweetheart!" Her father, Javier, waves.

"I will!" Claire grabs her bike by the handles and looks back at them.

"Watch out for goblins!" Javier adds.

Claire chuckles.

"Sure thing." Claire sighs.

She pedals away in the direction of school. Once she's out of site, her parents turn to go back inside, but Ophelia stops when she sees her neighbor across the street, Chad Hammes, come out onto his front porch.

Chad coughs and hacks pretty badly. His face looks paler than usual. He bends down and picks up the newspaper on his porch. When he stands up straight again, Ophelia can see a patch of blood soaking through his grey shirt.

"Chad! Is everything alright?!" Ophelia shouts over to him.

Chad looks over at his former political opponent and scoffs.

"Save it, Ophelia! You already won the election, just leave me alone!" Chad waves a hand aggressively in her direction, then stumbles back inside his house.

Ophelia simply huffs and turns away, bouncing Enrique in her arms.

Jim and Toby pull up to Arcadia Oaks High on their bikes. No sooner do they park them, Claire rides up beside them.

"'Sup, Nuñez!" Toby salutes her.

"Hey guys!" Claire grins, giving Jim a big hug. When she pulls back, she also plants a quick peck on his cheek.

Jim blushes.

"N-Nice to see you, too, Claire." Jim rubs the back of his head and smiles.

"So, how's Merlin doing in your house?" Claire quirks a brow.

"Oh, my gosh, he is impossible!" Jim groans. "I'm thankful that he's been out for the past day, doing... whatever. I think he's poking around the entrance to Trollmarket, probably trying to figure out a way in."

"Now that Morgana's free, he's just going rogue? Hmmph, knew that old fart was untrustworthy." Toby crosses his arms.

"What exactly happened with Morgana? Did your mom ever say?" Claire goes on to ask.

"Just that Gunmar locked her up and forced Strickler to free her. I know she's still new to all of this... again, but I'm proud of her for being so brave." Jim smiles fondly.

Before they can continue talking, a pair of hands are placed on Toby's shoulders. Exchange student Aja Tarron pokes her head around Toby's and smiles at him. Her little brother Krel walks up behind her, looking uninterested as usual.

"Toby the robo-teeth boy!" Aja exclaims. "What is up?"

"Oh! Hey guys!" Toby waves.

"Hello." Krel greets in a neutral tone.

"Have you guys had any FUN Troll hunter adventures lately?" Aja is practically bouncing on her heels, desperate for a story.

"Sadly... no." Jim tilts his head.

"What about you guys? Did you do anything fun since we last saw you?" Claire wonders.

Aja and Krel exchange a long glance, then look back at the three.

"Not really." Krel answers. "But, I have been preparing for my math duel with the Seamus boy today. Apparently it is a crime that I am factually more intelligent than him."

"Oh, right! I wish you the best of luck!" Claire smiles.

"...Thank you." Krel nods, a small smile coming to his face.

The first bell rings over their heads.

"Kleb! I mean shoot! We're going to be late if we do not move our butts! See you later, Troll hunters!" Aja waves goodbye.

"Later!" Toby giggles a little. "Man, they're really cool people."

"And they have the right idea. C'mon, if we're late to class, Uhl won't let us hear the end of it. Do we really want another Saturday detention?" Jim reminds them.

"Yeesh, you're right. Let's gooo!" Toby agrees, leading the three of them in their jog inside the school.

A car pulls up outside the school just as the tardy bell rings. Eli sits in the passenger seat, backpack on his lap. One of his moms, Nathalie, looks over at him.

"I can't believe you're going to be tardy to school all because of some scary movie!" Nathalie sighs.

"It wasn't a scary movie, mom! It was REAL! I'm telling you! Something was wrong with Mr. Simmons last night! I could hear it from my room!" Eli protests.

Nathalie gasps.

"Elijah Leslie Pepperjack! He is our neighbor! I don't want to hear you talk about him like that ever again!" Nathalie shakes her head.

"I-I'm sorry, mom! I didn't mean it to be rude! I just meant that it was strange to see!" Eli apologizes.

Eli opens the door and hops out of the car.

"Bye, mom! Love you!" Eli smiles.

"Goodbye, sweetheart. Just remember to be nice, alright?" Nathalie points a finger at him.

"I will!" Eli waves as she drives off.

He stands there and waits, until he remembers that he's already late.

"AW MAN! No no no no no no!" Eli panics while sprinting full speed into school.

In the classroom, Jim, Claire, and Toby are seated at their desks when the door opens slowly. Señor Uhl looks over and sees Mary and Darci walk in.

"Miss Wang, Miss Scott, would you care to explain why you're late to my class?" Señor Uhl folds his hands behind his back.

"Sorry, Karl. Darci was helping me get my locker un-jammed. Maybe I can host a fundraiser to get this school better lockers." Mary shrugs her shoulders and walks to her seat like nothing happened.

Some students snicker at this, and Karl turns to look at them.

"Quiet! And that is Señor UHL to you, Mary Wang." Karl glares at her.

Darci walks up and smiles apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Señor Uhl. We would've gotten late passes from the principal, but... you, err... ARE the principal. Interim principal." Darci explains.

Karl sighs, then stands up straight again.

"Very well. Please just take your seat now." Karl points to the desk next to Toby.

"Thank you." Darci says while heading to her desk.

"Yoooo, Darc!" Toby hisses. "You just avoided a detention from UHL! You're... a LEGEND!"

Darci sits down and pretends to brush dust off of her shoulder.

"I have a gift, I guess. You're WELCOME." Darci looks back at Mary, who is sitting behind her.

"Yeah, yeah, thanks Darci." Mary huffs, but does smile when she pauses. "If I got another Saturday detention, I would DIE!"

"We had fun last time, didn't we?" Claire nudges her and grins.

"I guess so." Mary agrees after a second.

"Man, now I WISH I had been there..." Darci sighs.

The five of them chuckle amongst themselves, and Jim thinks back to that day. The memories of him having to fight a corrupted Draal come flooding back, and he shakes them away.

"No, you don't..." Jim looks down at his desk and hands.

Once first period had ended, students brush through the hallways to their next classes. Among them, Eli stumbles around frantically. He rounds a corner, and bumps straight into Miss Lenora Janeth.

"Mr. Pepperjack! Why were you absent from my class just now?" Lenora places her hands on her hips.

"I-- I, uh--! I-I got here late! I overslept!" Eli lies.

"Hmmph. Well, if you're absent unexcused again, it's detention for you! I hope you're prepared for our quiz this week." Lenora tells him, then continues on down the hall.

In truth, Eli missed her class because he had been panicking in the bathrooms the whole time, still reeling from what he KNOWS he heard the night prior.

He continues running off down the hall. His head darts left and right, searching the sea of students for one specific person. His search luckily ends when he bumps into just the right person.

"AAH!" The tall blond squeaks.

"STEVE!" Eli exclaims, and yanks him into the bathrooms nearby.

Steve Palchuk rubs his head, then finally looks at his best friend.

"Pepperjack, what was all that?!" Steve grunts.

"I HAVE to tell you something! I tried to tell my mom but she wouldn't listen, and I was late to class and--!" Eli rambles.

Steve puts a hand on Eli's shoulder and gently shakes him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down there, buttsnack. I can't tell what the heck you're saying when you start rambling like that!" Steve interrupts him.

"Something bad is going on." Eli paraphrases, his hands wringing together.

Steve recoils, and his eyes narrow in confusion.

"Okay, now you need to be a little more specific." Steve waves a hand in the air.

"Okay, just... bear with me on this. Last night I was reading comics in my room, when I heard a noise coming from somewhere outside my window. I looked out it and I saw my next door neighbor, Mr. Simmons. He was rummaging through his trash on his knees." Eli starts to recall.

"Maybe he was just looking for something?" Steve reasons, but Eli shakes his head.

"No way. I opened my window to try and get a better look, and when I did, I know exactly what I heard. He was... eating something. I could hear him chewing, and tearing something apart..." Eli shudders and wraps his arms around himself. "He turned a little, and I got a glimpse of his face. His skin was so pale... and there was red stuff around his mouth."

"Wait..." Steve rubs his chin in thought.

"Do you believe me? C'mon, Steve! You and I proved that creepers were real together! We even helped them! This HAS to be something related to them!" Eli insists.

"Let me get this straight. You think you saw your neighbor, eating something, with... what you THINK is... blood around his mouth?" Steve repeats.

"Yes! I was gonna take a picture, but my phone died." Eli mopes.

"Are you saying that your neighbor is a ZOMBIE?" Steve asks incredulously.

"...Maybe! I don't know! All I know is that what he was doing was NOT normal!" Eli shrugs his shoulders.

"Look, I know we've both seen and found out some pretty crazy things this year, but... maybe you just saw wrong. Zombies aren't real, man." Steve smirks.

Eli just stares at him, dumbfounded.

"We have concrete proof that mythical creatures and MAGIC exists in our town and possibly the entire world, and you think that the ability to raise the undead in real life is IMPOSSIBLE?!" Eli exclaims.

Steve pauses.

"...Yep. Later, dork." Steve pats Eli on the head and briskly walks out of the bathroom.

Eli groans, and leans back against one of the stall doors.

Gross looking cafeteria food is slopped onto Aja's food tray.

"There you go." Lunch lady Judy states, in a neutral, bored tone. "Chicken surprise."

"Lively! What's the surprise?" Aja asks, curious.

Judy's expression doesn't change, but her eyes lower to meet Aja's.

"Chicken." Judy answers, then turns to give the student behind her, Logan Walker, his lunch.

"Oh... thank you!" Aja giggles as she leaves the lunch line.

Once Logan gets his serving of chicken surprise, he turns to his friend, Seamus Johnson.

"She's weird." Logan remarks.

"Weirder than lunch lady Judy? Probably." Seamus agrees. "But they seem okay... I guess."

"Aren't you going up against her brother today in a math duel for Miss Janeth's A+?" Logan asks.

"Yeah. My dad says if I lose to that 'foreigner', then I'm not going to space camp." Seamus looks at the ground.

"No offense, dude, but your dad is a terrible human being." Logan scoffs.

Seamus says nothing while the two walk out of the lunch line. Logan huffs.

"Look, if you do end up losing... don't take it out on Tarron. Your dad's already all up in his business, he doesn't need anyone else making him feel any worse." Logan adds.

"Yeah... you're right." Seamus nods after another short pause.

Over at one of the tables, Aja takes a seat beside her brother. Krel picks at his own tray of chicken surprise.

"...What is the surprise about it?" Krel wonders aloud.

"According to the lunch lady, chicken!" Aja explains.

"That does not make sense." Krel shakes his head. "Then again, nothing on this dump heap makes sense. I hate being here!"

"Shhh! Keep your voice down!" Aja hisses.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Krel mocks her at a quieter level.

"Do not get cocky, little brother. We may have the daxial array, but we still need... oh, kleb, what's next?" Aja groans.

"Subspace manifold. But I have no idea where we would find one on a planet as primitive as this." Krel rolls his eyes.

"Just stay focused, and maybe an opportunity will present itself." Aja suggests. "Until then, we need to make sure we stay blended in."

A short girl with glasses, Shannon Longhannon, walks by their table.

"Hi Aja!" Shannon smiles.

"Hey, Shannon!" Aja waves as she continues walking, then she looks over at Krel and smirks. "See how good I am?"

"Oh, please." Krel scoffs. "I can do far better than that."

"You solved a triangle's area for the fourth dimension. Humans cannot do that!" Aja reminds him.

"Blahblah, whatever. Let's just eat. Not like we can be discovered by doing that." Krel says sarcastically.

Aja picks up her cup of juice and dumps it all over her hands, to which she then rubs it all over them like its hand sanitizer. Krel, meanwhile, leans over and starts to shovel food into his mouth with his bare hands. After a few seconds, the two of them stop what they're doing upon hearing the lunchroom go strangely quiet.

Shannon, Logan, Eli, and everyone else in the room is looking at them, bewildered.

"Why are they looking at us?" Krel murmurs to his sister.

"Um... that's...?" Eli stammers from his lunch table nearby, eyeing the two suspiciously.

Down below the canals of Arcadia Oaks, deep within Heartsone Trollmarket, the feared sorceress, Morgana, stands in Blinky's former library. She rifles through several books, opening them for a minute and browsing, before chucking them aside.

She picks up one particular book she had set down on the table and opens it back up. Upon flipping through the pages again, she starts to chuckle. Some of the images depict a dark figure crawling out of the ground, and also some images of the human brain.

"Oh, yes. Perfect." Morgana murmurs to herself, fingers tracing over the pictures.

She lifts a hand and closes her eyes, preparing to speak, when suddenly Gunmar stomps into the room.

"Pale lady," Gunmar begins. "When will the eternal night be ready? My forces await your command."

Morgana groans.

"Patience, Gunmar. After all, I'm only just freed. It would not be wise to rush me so soon." Morgana's voice becomes stern.

"...I am sorry, Eldritch Queen." Gunmar bows his head, and kneels before her.

"You are forgiven. Now come, I want to show you what I've been doing to the surface world since I've been freed." Morgana says, and beckons the troll to follow her back to the book she had been reading from.

"The books of my former advisor? Surely they cannot be of any help here. He already betrayed me. Betrayed US!" Gunmar growls.

"On the contrary. Your old friend has quite the collection of books regarding magic. HELPFUL ones." Morgana smiles.

"Helpful how?" Gunmar sniffs.

Morgana shows Gunmar the page with the human brain.

"A spell to reanimate the human brain. Although, not quite to the same essence of a... living human. If a human were to die, this spell would bring their brain back to life, but in a more, err, undead sense." Morgana goes on to explain.

"The undead? You are creating... undead humans?" Gunmar asks.

"Precisely." Morgana chuckles wickedly. "The stories about them have existed since before I was sealed away by that wretched wizard, Merlin. I've started small, but soon, things are going to get much, much bigger..."

"With all due respect," Gunmar interjects. "How does this help progress us to the eternal night? Trollkind deserves the surface again!"

"I understand your concern. But like I said; have patience." Morgana repeats, then starts to leave the room. "Now come along. This next act requires us to have the full power of the heartstone."

Gunmar follows her out onto the underground streets of Trollmarket, and they both head up toward the slowly dimming heartstone. Unknown to them, six eyes blink in rapid succession from behind them, hidden in a shadowy corner.

"Great grumbly gruesome..." Blinky Galadrigal mutters in surprise. "Whatever could they be planning now?"

"Don't know. Couldn't hear." AAARRRGGHH!!! answers from behind Blinky, the much larger troll shrugging his stone shoulders.

"Yes, I know. That's why we were waiting for them to come OUT, so we COULD hear them." Blinky reminds his friend.

"Oh... right. Hehe." AAARRRGGHH!!! giggles sheepishly.

"But I fear it's too risky to continue following them. Too many guards." Blinky ducks down just as he says that, as two Gumm-Gumms patrol past.

"What now?" AAARRRGGHH!!! tilts his head.

"I say we get out of here while we still can, and make sure that Master Jim is alright." Blinky says.

Before either of them can make a move to sneak for the stairs, Blinky's phone rings. The four-armed troll gasps and fumbles to answer it. As soon as he puts the phone to his ear, a familiar voice begins shouting.

"Have you been readin' my messages?!" NotEnrique's voice comes through the phone.

"NotEnri-- What do you WANT?!" Blinky hisses angrily into the phone, silently praying the changeling loud voice didn't draw attention.

"I've been tryin' to reach ya all morning!" NotEnrique goes on to complain.

"Well, I'm sorry. We've been a little BUSY--" Blinky goes to retort.

"Spyin' on Gunmar n' Morgana! Yeah, yeah, I know! Nuñez told me about it! That's what I need to talk to you about!" NotEnrique grumbles.

"Who is it?" AAARRRGGHH!!! asks.

Blinky just turns and stares blankly at him, then lowers his head again.

"What do you need from us, then?" Blinky sighs.

"You're not gonna like this, but... I need you to stay down there longer." NotEnrique reveals.

"Oh, are you KID--!" Blinky groans.

"Please! I'm beggin' ya, just a little longer. Somethin' in my gut is tellin' me they're up to something even more dangerous than an eternal night. Please just find out what it is and then you can leave or whatever!" NotEnrique begs them.

Blinky is silent for the longest time. He takes in a deep breath to compose himself, then brings the phone back up to his ear.

"Fine. We will continue our recon mission for only a little longer in the hopes that we discover their plan." Blinky agrees, albeit heavily reluctantly.

"Thanks, man. Catch ya later!" NotEnrique cheerily hangs up the phone before Blinky can speak.

"I-- aaaand he has hung up..." Blinky sighs.

"We staying?" AAARRRGGHH!!! asks.

"Yes, my friend. We are. Now, come on, let's find a spot to hide closer to the heartstone." Blinky waves him along.

Both trolls creep out from their hiding spot, checking for Gumm-Gumms. When they see none, both scamper away up towards the heartstone.

At Arcadia Oaks Memorial Hospital, a man is wheeled in on a gurney by Barbara and a few nurses.

"Sir? Sir, I need you to look at me. Can you hear me?" Barbara asks.

"I... I... wh--" The man garbles.

Barbara looks down to the man's chest and torso. Two huge gashes in his body are leaking blood all over the sheets on the gurney.

"Can you tell me what happened to you?" Barbara tries asking.

Behind her, several other doctors and nurses are rushing around, some covered in blood from operations, others carrying bandages and gauze. The man weakly looks up at Barbara.

"I-I was... was..." He rasps out.

"It's okay. Just try to breathe for me." Barbara presses some fresh gauze handed to her by a nurse against the man's lower wound. "Can you tell me your name, sir?"

"M... M-Mike..." The man, Mike, answers slowly. "And I was... was b-bitten."

"Bitten? By what? If it was a wild animal, after we close your wounds, we'll need to test you for rabies." Barbara notes.

"No... by m-my wife. She was sick today... and then she attacked me." Mike tells her.

Barbara pauses, stunned. When she recomposes herself, she turns to the nurses directing the gurney.

"Put him in this room, it's empty." Barbara points to the room.

Mike is wheeled inside, and Barbara shuts the door behind her as she walks in. From around a corner, a young looking boy watches him be wheeled in.

"Fuzzbuckets..." Wizard Douxie Casperan murmurs, before he sprints down the hall towards the main doors of the hospital.

Just as Douxie runs outside, he witnesses another woman being led inside, a large bite prevalent on her forearm. He slips around to the side of the building and looks down at the watch on his wrist. It glows blue and transforms into a larger magical bracelet.

"Morgana is out..." Douxie gasps. "She's free."

He looks around in all directions to make sure no one is nearby.

"I need to find Merlin. He'll know what to do." Douxie decides, before he starts running off yet again.

"Come on, Palchuk! Climb that rope" Coach Lawrence shouts as Steve dangles on a rope, halfway up to the ceiling.

"I-I'm trying, Coach, err, dad coach!" Steve stammers, while using all of his strength to pull himself up just a little higher.

On the two ropes next to him, Aja and Eli climb with ease.

"This is a lot of fun!" Aja exclaims, ringing the bell at the top.

"Pepperjack?! HOW are you climbing that rope?!" Lawrence exclaims in disbelief.

"Just because I have little body mass, doesn't mean I don't have a strong core!" Eli declares. "WA-AHHH!"

Eli fumbles to keep himself from falling after distracting himself. From the bleachers, Mary and Darci giggle at that. Shannon sits beside them, staring at Aja.

"She's so strong! No one has ever climbed the rope that fast!" Shannon admires.

"Aj is amazing, she's like... a total butt-kicker." Darci nods knowingly.

"Hey, did you hear Steve just now? He called Coach Lawrence 'Dad'!" Mary snickers.

"Hey, you shouldn't make fun of him for that. Remember when he started crying back when the teachers went crazy?" Shannon speaks up.

"Shannon's right," Claire agrees as she, Jim, and Toby join them on the bleachers.

"Meh, you guys don't let me have any fun." Mary complains.

"Your fun usually involves finding something embarrassing about all of us." Toby deadpans, not amused.

"Well, anyway..." Darci changes the subject. "Have you guys been keeping up with the local news today?"

Mary scoffs.

"No offense, Darc, but do you see who you're talking to?" Claire tilts her head and smirks a little.

"You'd think the councilwoman's daughter would be more involved, huh." Jim teases, earning a small swat from Claire.

"I have been." Shannon looks to Darci. "So you've been seeing the attacks reported, too?"

"Wait, attacks?" Jim suddenly perks up.

Claire and Toby exchange a knowing glance.

"Yeah, it's pretty insane. My dad's been texting me about it, too. He's been seeing stuff all day." Darci goes on to explain.

"Does anyone know what's... behind the attacks?" Jim asks.

"Uhh, sort of." Darci shakes her head a little. "From what I've read it sounds like people are attacking EACH OTHER. There's been tons of reports of people acting feral all over town, and sometimes biting others."

"Surely a bite can't be THAT bad." Toby chuckles.

"I wouldn't be so sure, T.P., these people have been admitted to the hospital." Darci finishes.

"Jeez! What's getting into everyone?" Jim recoils back at the revelation. Silently, he wonders if his mom is alright.

"Maybe they all got rabies from some raccoon." Mary wonders.

"I just hope they're okay." Shannon looks down at the bleachers.

"I wonder if I could maybe find one of these people and film them for my followers. Hashtag ew gross ew, right?" Mary smirks.

"Come on, Mary, that's just... wrong." Claire grimaces.

"Look, guys, just be careful on your way home today. If this is some kind of... disease or virus that's starting, I don't think any of us want to be within 100 feet of it." Darci says.

"You've got that right. I've stayed sickness free for years now, and I'm not breaking my streak anytime soon." Toby snaps his fingers proudly.

Down on the gym floor, Eli shrieks as he falls down from the rope, landing on the soft mat below.

"OOOF!" Eli groans, rolling over onto his back.

"Pepperjack! Get up and walk it off! It's time to run some laps, everyone!" Lawrence shouts.

As the group of teens stands up off the bleachers, Toby pulls Jim aside.

"You think this is a... y'know, troll thing?" Toby whispers.

"Come on, Toby, you know this town by now. If it's out of the ordinary, it's a troll thing." Jim nods, before the two of them join the others on the gym floor.

Krel and Aja saunter over to where Eli still lays, mostly motionless. Krel lightly pokes his cheek and then nudges him with his foot.

"...Is he dead?" Krel tilts his head and raises an eyebrow.

Morgana stands before Gunmar in the center of the heartstone. She's not facing him.

"Pale lady, what are we still doing here?" Gunmar gestures back down towards Trollmarket. "We have an army, waiting to DESTROY the creatures on the surface, and we still have yet to make a move."

"ENOUGH!" Morgana finally yells, spinning around sharply. She begins to float off of the ground.

Gunmar steps back in surprise.

"You have proven to me that loyalty is not what you treasure. Countless times you have attempted to force your agenda onto me, and each time it only makes this decision easier." Morgana begins to smirk.

"What... What decision, my Eldritch Queen?" Gunmar shakily asks.

"The eternal night will be no more. Instead, I will unleash the end of the WORLD! I will turn each and every human against one another as they succumb to this plague." Morgana laughs , loud and deranged.

"B-But, my queen--!" Gunmar tries to protest.

"Silence! I've heard quite enough from you. As for you, your army, and ALL of Trollkind? They no longer benefit me. They will simply become extinct." Morgana calmly states.

"YOU... YOU WITCH! YOU CANNOT DO THIS!" Gunmar screams, and picks up his blade.

Morgana retaliates instantly. Not even a few steps into his charge, she shoots Gunmar directly in his chest with a deep red bolt of magic. The troll tyrant slows to a stop, his legs turning to stone.

"You're a monster..." Gunmar snarls. "What about the changelings? The IMPURES. Are you going to turn on them, too?"

"Any IMPURE around here has become far too immersed in their human affairs. As far as I'm concerned, that's what they are. Let them rot with all the pour souls to be killed starting today." Morgana spits onto the ground.

From the entrance to the heartstone, Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! watch in horror as the rest of Gunmar's body turns to stone.

"You'll regret this...! One day..." Gunmar's struggles to say, before his face becomes entirely stone.

Once Gunmar's body is entirely stone, it crumbles to several tiny pieces all on its own. Morgana stares at it, emotionless.

"The end of Trollkind is NOW!" Morgana suddenly yells into the air.

"Run... RUN!" Blinky tugs on AAARRRGGHH!!!'s arm, and the two hurry away down the steps away from the powerful sorceress.

Morgana floats out from the heartstone and raises a single hand. Her eyes begin to glow a golden yellow, and her voice echoes when she begins to say an incantation.

 _"_ _Slleps era drah ot etirw. Os mi tsuj gnitirw sdrawkcab. Yreve llort lliw won EID!"_

Bolts of hot red magic shoot from Morgana's fingertips. Left and right, all around the two fleeing trolls, Gumm-Gumms instantly become stone and crumble to the ground. But that isn't all.

Above ground, inside the storage units that the trolls that fled from Trollmarket. Bagdwella sits, eating a rat. All of a sudden, she feels her legs hardening, and becoming numb. She looks down and sees that they've become stone, and it's spreading up her body fast.

"Oh, heavens! Oh, dear! Somebody help! Help me!" Bagdwella exclaims.

But no one can. All around her, the helpless trolls scream in horror and surprise as one by one they all become stone and burst to pieces.

Glug in her tub gasps as her hand becomes stone.

"H-Hey! What is happening?! AAAAH--!" Glug is cut off as her body turns to stone and sinks down into the neon green liquid in her tub.

Bagdwella trips and falls forward, but is unable to stand because of her stone legs. She turns her head, seeing all of the other trolls have been reduced to stone rubble.

"Trollhunter... help...!" Bagdwella rasps, before her body becomes nothing but a stone monument and destroys itself.

Back down in Trollmarket, Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! race into the Hero's Forge. The soothscryer is out and open.

"There! Head for the soothscryer!" Blinky points with urgency.

AAARRRGGHH!!!, not wanting to waste time, picks Blinky up under one arm and charges at the thing. When they grow nearer, the mechanism opens up to accept a hand.

"Blinky! Go!" AAARRRGGHH!!! shouts, and holds Blinky out in front of him.

"Be right behind me, old friend!" Blinky says, just as his fist enters the soothscryer.

In seconds, Blinky's body glows a bright misty blue, and his vanishes in a puff of smoke. AAARRRGGHH!!! turns back to look at the entrance to the forge one last time, before he sticks his own fist into the soothscryer and lets himself be transported to the void between worlds just like the first time.

Morgana floats through Trollmarket, eyeing the stone remains of each troll and Gumm-Gumm she slayed. A rustling from inside one of the shops makes her whip her head in its direction. She storms over and raises her arm, ready to strike down the life form.

"No! Wait! Please don't kill me! I can be useful!" Comes the pleading cry.

Morgana lowers her hand slightly, seeing Queen Usurna standing there.

"I know Gunmar was a pain to work with. But... I can help you." Usurna cautiously offers.

"How? As far as I'm concerned, you're the only troll I haven't eradicated. What use could you possibly have?" Morgana almost laughs at the comment.

"My people... the Krubera, we live-- lived... in a place called the Deep Caverns. There is so much untapped power stored within them. I ruled down there, so I know how to access it all." Usurna reveals to her.

Morgana seems genuinely taken aback by this revelation, and she fully lets her guard down.

"You will take me there and show me how to take this power. I'm going to need it for my new plan to fully be set in motion." Morgana decides.

"Yes... Y-Yes, very well." Usurna nods. "If you follow me, we can take the gyre. It's just this way."

Usurna nervously begins to walk off towards the gyre chamber. Morgana eyes the Krubera queen for a moment, then follows after her.

Night falls on Arcadia Oaks. Jim, Claire, and Toby are walking home with their bikes. Jim has his phone up to his ear.

"Are you sure you haven't heard from them?" Jim asks again.

"I still don't see why your mentor and his friend would contact me, young atlas. I'm pretty sure they don't particularly like me." Walter Strickler's voice answers through the phone.

"I just thought that maybe you would've seen them around. You know, because you've been hiding in the sewers all this time." Jim remarks.

"I'm afraid to tell you that's not the case. You have them spying on GUNMAR and MORGANA. That's not exactly a risk-less task." Strickler's voice is more serious now.

"Yeah, yeah, I KNOW. I'm just-- worried." Jim drags a hand down his face.

"Stay sharp, young atlas. Give them another day, perhaps they just couldn't find the right moment to make their exit." Strickler surmises.

"Yeah... yeah, good point." Jim sighs. "But if you see them, you'll let me know?"

"Of course." Strickler confirms. "Now I must go, it's getting to be late. Ms. Nomura sends her best."

"Tell her I said hi." Jim lightly chuckles, before he hangs up the phone.

"I take it Strickler and Nomura haven't seen Blinky or AAARRRGGHH!!! either, then?" Toby asks after a beat of silence.

"Nope. I guess they're still down in Trollmarket." Jim shakes his head.

"Hey, they're gonna be fine. I know they will." Claire puts a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder.

"Darn right. Nothing stops my wingman." Toby nods in triumphant agreement.

"Thanks, guys." Jim pulls both of them in for a hug.

The three of them then reach a three way intersection.

"This is my street. I'll see you guys tomorrow!" Claire waves as she hops on her bike and begins pedaling away.

"Goodbye, mi amor!" Jim dramatically calls after her.

"Hehe, you dork..." Claire lovingly comments.

"What did I tell you about the Spanish?" Toby points an accusatory finger up at Jim.

"It was just a joke, Tobes. No need to come at me." Jim holds his hands up in mock surrender.

The two of them hop on their bikes and head straight along the road until they reach the familiar cul-de-sac with their neighboring houses.

"Man, I'm beat. Today was exhausting." Toby yawns.

"You hardly did anything today." Jim remarks smugly.

"Ha ha." Toby mopes. He's about to head up to his house, but stops. "Hey... do you think we should've gone with Claire until she got home?"

"Huh? Why?" Jim looks confused.

"Remember what Darci said? All those... attacks by other people all over town. People getting bitten. If you ask me, it sounds like we're witnessing the start of a zombie apocalypse." Toby explains.

"Toby, I know you love your zombie movies, but they aren't real!" Jim says. "I agree, we should be careful right now, but there's no way these people are zombies."

"We live in a city with TROLLS beneath us and you think people coming back to life is totally impossible?!" Toby throws his hands in the air.

"As a matter of fact? Yes. I do think that." Jim nods, enjoying Toby's very unamused look. "Now go get some rest. Miss Janeth has us taking a quiz later in the week and we gotta study as hard as possible these next few days."

"Ugh, don't remind me. Nighty night, Jimbo. And hey! Let me know as soon as you know where AAARRRGGHH!!! is!" Toby shouts, heading up the stairs of his porch.

"You got it!" Jim assures him.

Both boys enter their respective houses.

"Mom? Mom, I'm home!" Jim calls out. No answer.

He ventures further inside, and sees a piece of paper on the table. He picks it up and reads it.

Hey kiddo, working late at  
the hospital tonight. A lot of patients  
coming in today. I promise I'll be home by midnight at the latest. Love you!  
-Mom

Jim reads the note over a few more times, and sets it down without a word.

In the Pepperjack household, Nathalie paces back and forth in her living room. She's on the phone.

"Are you sure you have to work this late, hon?" Nathalie bites her thumbnail.

"I'm sorry, Nat. The hospital's just getting overwhelmed with new patients and I have to help." Her wife, Emilia, apologizes.

"I'm just worried about you, is all." Nathalie murmurs.

"I know you are. But I promise I'm safe. Hospitals are for saving people, remember?" Emilia's voice sounds teasing.

Nathalie lightly chuckles.

"Yes, I am aware. But still, I want you to be extra safe. For me." Nathalie says.

"I'd say doctor's orders, but... I'm the doctor." Emilia jokes. "I promise I'll be home just after midnight, tops."

"...Okay. See you then?" Nathalie smiles a little.

"See you then. Love you." Emilia kisses into the phone.

"Love you, too." Nathalie whispers, before she hangs s up e phone.

Eli comes halfway downstairs just as the phone call ends.

"Was that mom? Is she on her way home?" Eli asks.

"Your mother is working late again tonight. There's been a whole bunch of new patients today." Nathalie explains.

Eli's face pales, and he runs the rest of the way down the stairs.

"No! Call her back! Tell her to come home NOW!" Eli tries to grab the phone, only for Nathalie to swipe her hand out of the way.

"Elijah Leslie PEPPERJACK!" Nathalie exclaims.

"B-But she's in danger--!" Eli protests.

"I don't want to hear it! Now go to your room until dinner is ready!" Nathalie demands.

Eli frowns and stomps back upstairs, slamming his bedroom door shut as he enters. He picks his phone up off his bedside table and immediately dials Steve's number. The phone rings just twice before Steve picks up.

"Pepperjack? Why are you--" Steve tries to ask, but Eli cuts him off.

"Steve. Tell your mom and Coach Lawrence that you're sleeping over at my house tomorrow night." Eli orders.

"Huh? Eli, what is going on?" Steve is beyond confused.

"Just do it!" Eli groans, exasperated.

"Okay, okay!" Steve relents. "But seriously, you're acting weird. First thing tomorrow at school you're explaining yourself, got it?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever! Just be ready to come to my house tomorrow!" Eli responds, then ends the call without waiting for Steve's response.

He walks over to his bedroom window and peeks out it, down at his neighbor's house. He can see a splotch of something dark stained on the pavement near the trash bins.

Claire walks in the front door of her house and drops her backpack by the door.

"Mom? Dad? I'm home!" Claire announces.

"Claire, sweetheart!" Javier greets her at the door, kissing her head. "How was your day?"

"Boring, as usual. Señor Uhl's classes feel like they're days long." Claire complains.

"Claire, sweetie? Is that you? Dinner's almost ready!" Ophelia says from the kitchen.

Claire walks out there, seeing Ophelia arranging some dinner plates. Enrique is bouncing up and down in his baby jumper. NotEnrique is also in the kitchen, sniffing intently at the food Ophelia cooked.

"Oh, hey, sis!" NotEnrique grins.

Claire gives NotEnrique a wave, then looks down at her baby brother.

"Hola, my little Chicarrón." Claire giggles at his happy smile.

Javier follows his daughter into the kitchen as well.

"Ooh, this looks good." Javier goes to grab some, but Ophelia swats him.

"Not until it's ready! You boys are all the same." Ophelia teases.

"It's not my fault that almost no one showed up to work today. Usually Ricardo buys us all chorizos for lunch." Javier complains.

"Hm, now that you mention it, not a lot of people showed up at city council for work today. The halls were near empty." Ophelia recalls.

"Darci mentioned something about people getting... attacked, or sick, or something." Claire suddenly explains. "I don't know what it's about but people are being hospitalized from it."

"Oh, my! Maybe we should keep you home from school." Ophelia brings a hand to her mouth.

"Mom, if I can handle being possessed by an evil sorceress that's hundreds of centuries old, I think I can handle this." Claire smirks.

"I STILL want to talk to this woman so I can find out what she was doing in my daughter's head!" Javier scowls and balls his fists.

"Easy, Papá." Claire pats him on the arm. "I'm sure everything will be fine soon enough."

"You know, I saw Mr. Hammes this morning," Ophelia starts.

Claire groans and rolls her eyes.

"That guy? He almost attacked me and my friends just for putting out campaign signs." Claire thinks back to that day and pretends to gag.

"Listen!" Ophelia repeats. "I saw him just after you left for school, and he looked pretty under the weather. Hopefully he didn't get infected with whatever this is."

"And if he did, then--" Claire mutters, but her mother cuts her off.

"Claire Maria Nuñez, don't you dare finish that sentence." Ophelia glares at her.

"Sorry, mom." Claire huffs.

"Good, now grab the plates and help me set the table. Don't forget the plate for NotEnrique." Ophelia instructs as she begins serving food onto a plate.

Across the street, inside the Hammes household, the lights are all off. No sound comes from inside. In the doorway to the bathroom, though, there's a trickling puddle of blood making its way out to the hallway floor. Inside the bathroom is Chad, lying on his side, completely motionless. His wound is no longer bandaged and bleeding again. It's a bite.

There's a much thicker pool of blood trailing from his head and face. Streaks of it run down the side of his bathtub, indicating he'd collapsed and smashed his face on it hard. Just then, however, a low rasp escapes his throat. His fingers on his hands begin to move and twitch.

At last, his eyes slide open. Only instead of normal eyes with the black pupils and a color rim around, the eyes are completely milky gray. Chad sits up, growling. The blood on the floor stains his pants and shoes as he wobbles up, still growling and snarling in a subdued manner. With a strange limp type of walk, Chad stumbles out of his bathroom, leaving behind the bloody mess on the floor.


End file.
